Just Another Brick In The Wall?

The strongest walls we seem to make are not to blocking others out, but to keep ourselves in.

Some days it is hard to get out and make a change because of the fortified barrier built around the self. The one that keeps that keeps the brain locked in a mental prison with no hope of escape.

Each day brings new bricks to that can be added to that wall. It can be an unexpected problem, negative feeling or excuse to not do something. Alone they are easy to deal with, but combined they form something solid and incredibly hard to break through.

I notice these negative building blocks in my own life and, like most others, try my best to leave them be. Some days it is easy and others are much, much harder. It is easy to avoid on a sunny day when everything goes right, but the urge to build begins to become far too tempting when it all goes wrong.

Many of the people I know are going through tough times, especially the younger ones looking for stability in a world that had left the floor shifting beneath their feet. I see them frantically building that lonely wall around themselves brick-by-brick. Others are stuck in situations that seem hopeless only because they can’t see far enough. Their view is blocked.

The wall keeps them away from friends. Steers them away from new challenges and journeys that only require a little bit of effort to begin. It is impossible to move forward when there is a wall keeping you right where you are. Sometimes being trapped in one place feels like going backward.

What I hope is that you all recognize the little things in life that are getting in your way, and work to remove them before the wall becomes too high to scale. Make small, positive changes to break it down piece by piece, or take it down completely with a wrecking ball.

I have a lot of hope in the strength of the human spirit, even as big things like the economy, politics and tragedies get in the way. Now is the time to step back and tackle the little things first before we move onto the bright future ahead.